University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
| by Cathleen Rineer-Garber, Office of the Executive Vice President |
Medical students at the UNM School of Medicine, as well as students in the physician assistant program, are learning some valuable lessons about growing old and staying healthy. The teachers for these lessons, however, are not faculty members. They are older members of the community who have volunteered to help the students learn to communicate with older adults, benefit from their wisdom, and broaden their perceptions about what it means to successfully age in our society.
The Senior Mentor Program pairs a medical student with a healthy, active older adult who provides insight to the student about the aging process and medical care for older adults. “This is an opportunity for the mentors to share their wisdom and personal experiences with New Mexico’s future health care professionals,” says Carla Herman, MD, Director of the UNM Center for Aging and Chief of the UNM Department of Internal Medicine’s Division of Geriatrics.
Herman says this promises a future generation of health care providers who have had the opportunity to learn more about communicating with older adults. Considering the projected increase in older patients over the next few decades, the program may provide some practical and very useful lessons for these future physicians and physician assistants.
During the semester, students meet with their mentors at least three times to develop a social relationship and discuss health-related topics. For these visits, students have assigned topics to cover with their mentors such as the mentors’ life history, their views on health care and ways of staying active.
The personal relationships that develop between the students and their mentors are truly the heart of the program. “Too often, our youngest physicians have had very little interaction with senior citizens, and have no idea of what a valuable and rich resource they can be—not only in teaching students how better to practice medicine, but also in teaching them how better to live their lives,” says Herman.
During its first year, the program attracted 12 students, including second-year medical student Dusasdee Sarangarm. “The program has given me insight into the daily lives of seniors and the challenges they face physically, mentally and socially,” she says.
Sarangarm was paired with 85-year-old Helen Manderville, a former social worker who moved to Albuquerque from Michigan a few years ago to be closer to some of her grandchildren. Manderville says her participation with the program was a positive one. She enjoyed getting to know her student and is looking forward to continuing the relationship this year.
Sarangarm says the experience has been interesting and informative, but the most valuable aspect is the relationship that has been forged. “Besides having learned a lot, I also feel like I have adopted a grandma, made a friend and gained a confidant who I can go to for advice.”
According to Lloryn Swan, Senior Mentor Program coordinator, the experiences of Sarangarm and Manderville are typical of the program. “Most of our student-mentor pairs from the first year of the program developed a genuine affection for each other, perhaps to their mutual surprise given their age differences,” she says.
The beauty of the program, says Swan, is that it benefits both generations. “The students have gained a new appreciation of the rich variety of life experiences that their mentors have had, and the mentors have gained a more hopeful outlook for the future of our society, knowing there are some wonderful young people out there,” she says.
Now in its second year, the program—supported by the Donald W. Reynolds’ Foundation of Las Vegas, Nevada—has attracted 20 first-year medical students, six physician assistant students and eight continuing second-year medical students. For more information, contact Lloryn Swan.
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